Combustion process.



Patented sept. 16,1902.

2 Sheet-Shee l.

mi. 709,372'. .1. mrt-mtu.

CMBUSTIN PROCESS.

(Application med oct. 11, 1901.)

(m1 lttmtelrfy VQ 1 t No. 709,372. Patented Sept. I6, |902.

J.. TATHAM.

. CDMBUSTION PROCESS.

filed oct. 1.1, 190i.)

' 2 Sheets-snaai 2.

(No Model.)

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES TATHAM, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

-COIVIBUSTION PROCESS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 709,372, dated September 16, 1902.

Application filed October 11, 1901. Serial No. 78,344. (No specimens.)

To a/ZZ whom it Wto/y concern,.-

Be it known that I, JAMES TATHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing inv Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented an ImprovedCombustion Process, of which the fol-- lowing is a specification.

The object of my invention is to eifect the combustion of fuel in furnaces with better effect than is possible with the methods now employed. This object I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had siderable loss of heat, due to imperfect comwaste.

bustion and to the escape of hot gases to the chimneyT or stack; and it is the object of my invention to so eect the combustion of the fuel in the furnace as to save the greater portion of the heat which thus usually goes to This object I attain by causing a blast or current of air to pass directly downwardly through one portion of the mass of fuel on the grateand then upwardly through the other portion of said mass of fuel, the result being the generation of carbonio ,oxid and the burningwof the same in the combustion-chamber of the furnace without the usual strongdraft through a chimney or stack, and consequently without Waste of a consider- `able portion of the products of combustion through said chimney or stack.

The drawings illustrate a simple form of furnace intended for carrying out my invention in the heating of a melting-potl, which is mounted upon the walls 2 ofl the furnace, so as to be suspended Within the combustionchamber 3, the furnace having below this combustion-chamber a fire-pot 4L, a grate 5, and an ash-pit 6, the fuel being introduced through an opening provided with a door 7 and being piled upon the grate to any desired height. Embedded in the wall surrounding the fire-pot is a pipe 9, which communicates at one end with a rotary fan l0 or other available form of blast apparatus,this pipe having a branch ll, which discharges directly into the fire-pot of the furnace in such manner that it will deliver the air forwardly and downwardly into the rear portion of the mass of fuel contained in said lire-pot, the air being heated in its passage through the pipe, owing to the high temperature of the walls in which said pipe is embedded.` The opposite end of the pipe 9 projects from the furnace structure and is .preferably provided with a valve l2, so that any desired percentage of the air from the blast-pipe 9 may be discharged through the branch l1 into the combustion-chamber or fire-pot of the furnace, the surplus heated air being conveyed to any point where it can perform useful duty. The supply of air to the pipe 9 can be regulated either by adjusting the valve 13 in the supply-pipe 14 of the blower l0 or by adjusting the valve l5 in the discharge-pipe of said blower, or by both means. The upper portion of the combustion chamber comm-unicates through orifices in the side walls of the furnace with an annular flue 16, which discharges into a descending [ine 17 in one of the side walls of the furnace, this descending flue 17 communicating at the bottom through a transverse flue 18 with the bottom of the discharge flue or stack 19, which has a valve or damper 20, wherebyoutfiowthrough the same can be regulated as desired. In starting a fire in the furnace this damper 2O may be opened or partially opened, so as to provide natural draft; but as soon as the fire is well started the damper may be partly closed and the air-blast from the branch ll of the pipe Q-directed into the rear portion of the furnace. This blast is therefore directed iirst downwardly through the rear portion of the mass of fuel into the ash-pit, and the gas thereby produced is mingled with air in the ash-pit, thence rises through the front portion ofthe mass of fuel in the fire-pot, and.

escapes from the top of the same into the combustion-chamber.

Supposing that a tire has been started and the grate supports a mass of incandescent fuel extending up to the mouth of the blastpipe, the damper 20 is opened only to such an extent as to discharge the nitrogen and lOO other waste products of combustion, and the blast is Aturned on. When freshfuel'is supplied, gases evolved from that part of the fuel 'at the rear of the lire-pot are caused to pass f downward through the rear part of the mass of fuel, owingto the vdowndraft caused by is a lessened pressure in said combustion-- chamber. The gases which have been caused to pass downwardly through the rear part of the mass of fuel enter the ashpit, iow for'- Wardly in the same, and rise through the front portion of said fuel mass, the force of the blast being so governed that the gases entering the -ash-pit will not be blown out of the front of the same. The green fuel in the front part of the fire-pot therefore yburns from the bottom upward, being ignited at the bottom by the mass of incandescent fuel onto which it is thrown; but the green fuel at the rear of the lire-pot is ignited at the surface by the gases of combustion, which after being ignited in' the front portion of the combustion chamber bythe heat to 'which they are therein subjected pass over the surface of the rear portion of the mass of fuel.

Owing to the downdraft maintained in said rear portion of the mass of fuel, some of these ignited gases are caused to contact With the surface of said mass. Hencein this portion of the fire-pot combustion may be said to proceed from the top downward, the lower portion of the/layer of green fuel in this part ofthe firepot being the last to become incandescent, by which time the fuel in the front part of the lire-pot has become wholly incandescent and the fire is'in condition to be raked down for the purpose of adding fresh fuel, whereupon theoperations are repeated. The gases of combustion are thus lcaused to pass from I an incandescent portion of one part of the mass of fuel through the green or non-incandescent portion thereof and then to traverse in like sequence another part of the mass.

When the ash-pit is a closed one, a branch of the pipe 9 may extend into said ash-pitas shown, for instance, at 21 in Fig. l-for the purpose of supplying air for admixture with the gas therei The supply of air need vnot in all cases be heated before entering the mass of fuel; but I prefer to thus preheat it.

Having` thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent Y 1'. The mode herein described of effecting combustion ofcarbonaceous fuel, said mode consisting in causing gases of combustion to pass from an incandescent portion through a non-incandescent portion of one part of a mass of fuel, andthen causing these gases to traverse inlike sequence another-part of said combustion of carbonaceous fuel, said model i -consistingrin creating a downdraft through one part of a mass of fuel by means of a current of air, thereby causing gases of combus-A tion to pass from an incandescent portion through a non-incandescent portion of this part of the mass of fuel, and then passing said gases in like sequence through another part of said mass, substantially as'specified.'

3. The mode herein described of eecting combustion of carbonaceous fuel, said mode consisting in creating a downdraft through one part of a mass of fuel by means of a curf rent of preheated air, thereby causing gases.

of combustionto pass lfrom an'incandescen-t portion through a non-incandescent' portion of this part of the mass of fuel, and then pass" ing said gases in like sequence through another part vof said mass, substantially as specified.

4. The mode herein described of effecting combustion of carbonaceous fuel, saidV Inodey consisting increating a downdraft through one part of a mass of fuel by means ofa current of air, thereby causinggases of combustion to pass froman incandescent portion through a non-incandescent portion of this .part of the mass, thenpassingthese gases in like sequence through another part of the said mass of fuel, and finally passing the resulting ignited gases over that part ofthe mass of fuel in which the ldowndraft is maintained, substantially as specified. Y

5. The mode herein described of eecting combustion of carbonaceous fuel, said mode consisting in creating a downdraft `through one part of a mass of fuel by means of acurrent of preheated air, thereby causing gases of combustion to pass from an incandescent por- IIO tion through a non-incandescent portion of this part of the mass, then passing these gases in like sequence through another part of the said mass of fuel, and linally passing the resulting ignited gases over that part of the mass of fuel in which the downdraft is maintained, substantially as specified.

. 6. The mode herein described of effecting combustion of carbonaceous fuel, said mode consistingiu causing gases of combustion to pass from an incandescent portion through a non-incandescent portion yof part of a mass of fuel, mixing the gases thus'producedvwith air and then causing the mixture to traverse in like sequence another part of the mass of fuel, substantially as specified.

`7. The mode herein described of eecting.

combustion of carbonaceous fuel, said mode consisting in creating a downdraft through one part of the mass of fuel by means ofa current of air, thereby causing gases of combustion to pass from an incandescent portion through a non-incandescent portion of this part of the mass, mixing the gases thus proreutef air, thereby causing gases of combus- 2o` through a non-incandescent portion of the air, thenpassing the mixture in like sequence t `one part of the mass of fuel bymeans ofa cur` l produced withlair, causing the mixture to combustion of carbonaceous fuel, said mode specified;

onepart of` the mass of fuel by means of a duced with Vair and `then passing the mixture in like sequence through another part of the y y i S. Themode herein described of effecting `one part of theinass of fuel by means of a current of Apreheated air, thereby causing gases Aof combustion to pass froman incandescent `portion through anon-incandescent portion pass from an incandescent portion of one part cent portion thereof, mixing the gases thus lproduced with preheated air and causing the combustion of carbonaceous fuel, said mode ss mass of fuel, substantiallyas specified.

combustion of carbonaceous fuel, said mode consisting in creating a downdraft through of combustionto pass from an incandescent portion through anon-incandescent portion of this partof the mass, mixing the gases thus produced with air and then passing the mixture in like sequence through another part of the mass of fuel, substantially as specified.

\ 9. The mode herein described of effecting combustionof carbonaceous fuel, said mode consisting in creating a downdraft through one part of themassof fuel by means of a cu rtion topass from an incandescent portion mass, mixing the gases thus` produced with through another part ofthe said mass of fuel, and finallypassing the resulting ignited gases over that part of themass of fuel in which the downd raft is maintained, substantially as specified. l

10..The modeherein described of effecting combustion` of carbonaceous fuel, said mode consisting in creating a downdraft through rent of preheated air, thereby causing gases of this part of the mass, mixing the gasesthus traverse in like sequence another part of the 1l. The mode herein described of effecting consisting in causing gases of combustion to of the mass `of fuel through a non-incandesmixture to traverse in like sequence another part` of the mass of fuel, substantially as 12. The motieherein described of effecting consisting in creating a downdraft through current of air, thereby causing gases of combustin to pass from an incandescent portion through a non-incandescent portion of this part of the mass, mixing the gases thus produced with preheated air, and causing the mixture to traverse in like sequence another part of the mass of fuel, substantially as specified.

13. The mode herein described of effecting combustion of carbonaceous fuel, said mode consisting in creating a downdraft through one part of the mass of fuel by means 0f a current of preheated air, thereby causing gases of combustion to pass from an incandescent portion through a non-incandescent portion of this part of the mass, mixing the gases thus produced with preheated air, and causing the mixture to traverse in like sequence another part of the mass of fuel, substantially as specified.

14. The mode herein described of effecting combustion of carbonaceous fuel, said mode consisting in creating a downdraftthrough one part 0f the mass of fuel by means of a current of air, thereby causing the gases of combustion to pass from an incandescent portion through a non-incandescent portion of this part of the mass, mixing the gasesthus produced with preheated air, causing the mixture to traverse in like sequence another part of the said mass of fuel, and then passing the resulting ignited gases over that part of the mass in which the downdraft is maintained, substantially as specified.

15. The mode herein described of effecting combustion of carbonaceous fuel, said mode consisting in creating. a downdraft through one part of the mass of fuel by means of a current of :preheated air,itherebyA causing gases of combustion to pass from an incandescentportion through a non-incandescent portion of this part of the mass, mixing the gases thus produced with preheated air, causing the mixture to traverse in like sequence another part of the said mass of fuel, and

then passing the resulting ignited gases over that part of the mass in which the downdraft is maintained, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JAMES TATHAM.

W'ituesses: F. E. BEcHToL'D,

Jos. H. KLEIN.

IOO 

